Three Words
by myfavoriteloser
Summary: Brandon knew that falling for a girl like Diaspro wouldn't end well, especially when she was already in love with his perfect best friend, the Prince, and he was only a squire. But he couldn't help it, and he never claimed to be smart anyway.


_**This one-shot is dedicated to the wonderful author Renachi, who introduced me to this pairing and has been waiting FOREVER for me to finish. xDD**_

_**I finished this at like 3am (insomnia and all that) and I THOUGHT I proofread it buuuuuuut….heehee. –scratches head-**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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Brandon's life has revolved around SkySky_Sky_ since the day he could properly hold a sword. (Well...perhaps _properly_ isn't exactly a fitting word; since the day he could _lift_ a sword sounds more accurate.)

"Protect the prince," they tell him, "that is your purpose. Fail and your existence ceases to matter." so he practices, until his arms feel like jelly and his knees buckle beneath his weight, repeating those words mechanically as to never forget.

"Protect the prince, that is my purpose. Fail and my existence ceases to matter." he doesn't want to become unimportantforgotten_nothing_.

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It isn't long before he receives his own private tutor, Professor Humphrey.

"The prince's personal squire can't be some bumbling _illiterate _now can he?" Brandon doesn't like the stuffy old man at all.

He's short, barely taller than Brandon's five-year-old frame, with a round belly that jiggles when he walks. And his nose? What a disturbing freak of nature it is. It protrudes from his chubby face like a beak, its nostrils so large that the young squire is afraid they might suck him up if he wanders too close. Needless to say, Brandon has no intention of giving the old coot the time of day. He spends most of their lessons staring blankly out the library's largest window, the one that overlooks the courtyard, and fidgeting impatiently as he waits for the noon bell; his savior from educational Hell.

"Oh yes," Professor Humphrey always drawls, narrowing his beady little eyes, "completely disregard everything I am saying to you. I'm _only _trying to teach you how to _read _and _write_. It's nowhere _near_ as important as jabbing at stone dummies with a sharp object." Brandon is glad they're on the same page.

He doesn't want to learn; he wants to get strongerfaster_better_.

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Hours bleed into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. Finally, Brandon is ten, and it's time for him to meet the prince face to face.

"Please Brandon," Professor Humphrey begs when the young squire enters the castle's library for classes that morning, "just this once, _please_ pay attention."

Brandon is too excited to sit still, but he tries to listen anyway, because he's grown rather fond of Humphrey. If only the pudgy fellow wasn't so boring...

"Try not to comment on scholastic matters much. I'm the only other person in the castle besides yourself that is aware of your..._lack of knowledge_ in all things educational (Did he just call him stupid?).Your reading and writing is decent, however. Have you finished any of the books I assigned you?" Brandon stares blankly at him, wondering why he has never heard of these so called "books." Professor Humphrey pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Perhaps it would be best if you simply refrained from speaking while in the prince's presence, unless absolutely necessary."

A shaky knock suddenly echoes throughout the library. Brandon watcheswatches_watches_ in amusement as Professor Humphrey scrambles to tame his messy desk. He shoves papers that he's certain to be frantically searching for later into random drawers, and stacks the books he has yet gotten around to shelving into tall, unstable piles.

"Come in!" he stands with the rigid posture of a guilty man as one of the royal messengers struggles to open the heavy, mahogany doors.

A jittery looking gentleman pokes his head inside. His eyes dart around as if he's expecting an attack, and every now and again, his body gives a violent twitch.

"Y-young master B-Brandon's presence has been r-requested in t-training ground f-five." Brandon nearly gives the poor messenger a heart-attack when he jumps up and plows towards the door.

He finally has a chance to prove himself, and he wantsneeds_has_ to.

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Prince Sky is disappointingly disappointing.

He's scrawny and awkward and has girly, blond waves of hair. Even his voice is stupid. It's at a ridiculously high pitch that squeaks every time he asks Brandon if he's holding the sword right (and he never is). The young squire feels very much like he's been cheated. Aren't princes supposed to be awesome and heroic?

He watches Sky take a swing at the stone practice dummy with his glowing sword, succeeding only in throwing himself off balance and tumbling into the dirt.

Brandon's first instinct is to yell because he's only ten years old, barely experienced enough to teach himself, let alone this train wreck, and he's already upsetupset_upsert_so why not? Then he remembers how much he hates it when Professor Humphrey yells at him and decides not to. Sighing, he strolls from the shade as smoothly as a boy his age possibly can. Somebody has to be the cool one after all, and obviously, Sky isn't made of the right stuff.

"Watch me." He grunts.

Brandon doesn't bother to check if the blond is actually paying attention, but he does go slow enough for him to follow if he is. He gets into the proper stance, holding it long enough to have been cut in numerous places during a real battle, before making a clean slash across the dummy's arm. (Or perhaps it is a tail? No one really knows what the dummies are supposed to be modeled after.) He completes the action again; this time at a more realistic speed, and Sky is practically star struck when he's finished. Brandon thinks that maybe the prince isn't so bad after all.

It feels good to have someone think he is amazingwonderful_important_.

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Two more years and they've become best friends.

Prince Sky finally convinces Brandon to let him try his hand at the battle simulation chamber. The young brunette doesn't think it's such a good idea (squires usually train for years before upgrading from traditional methods), but he goes along with it. The prince would have ended up getting what he wanted anyway, so why bother with all the unnecessary hassle?

Sky stands in the middle of training room five (because the blond believes that to be his lucky number and refuses to do anything unless it is by fives), shaking excitedly in his spandex suit while Brandon mans the controls from the outside. Brandon doesn't really know which button does what, but he presses them with confidence because he never does anything half-assed. He smashes the largest one he can find; a red one decorated by a capitol "D." The blue room melts around Sky's form, giving way to the rocky crater of an erupting volcano. It isn't until a massive reptile flickers to life before the prince that Brandon finally realizes with the "D" must stand for.

Dragon.

Sky is running around screaming and the dragon is chasing him and his hair is on fire but not really and Brandon is laughing like he never has before since it's just so funnyfunny_funny_ when king Erendor walks into the control room. There is a man with him. The young squire figures this man must be a king too because he has that air about him that all royal people have. Well, he thinks with a naughty grin as he turns back to watch his best friend finally trying to fend off the fire-y beast, all royal people except Sky. Brandon doesn't know that the two men are quietly conversing about something that will forever change his life.

He doesn't know that he'll hurtcrumble_break_.

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"I don't want to get married, Brandon!" Sky whines a few months later. He is standing in front of his full-length mirror, fiddling with the uncomfortable lace ascot around his neck. His suit is itchy and stiff and his face it twisted up because he doesn't _want_ to meet princess Diaspro.

Brandon shrugs from his place sprawled coolly across Sky's large bed, his hands resting behind his brown nest of hair. He doesn't really care but he'll feel bad if he doesn't offer his friend some kind of comfort.

"You don't have to marry her yet," he offers, "and you never know; she might be kind of cool."

It turns out that princess Diaspro is actually a spoiled brat.

She demands her way, and if she doesn't get it then she'll yell and scream and hold her breath until she's blue in the face. She becomes annoyingly infatuated with Sky the moment she lays her honey-brown eyes on him too. For weeks she latches onto his arm, following the two boys everywhere and trying to kiss him until the young prince can no longer stand it. Finally, Sky tells her he hates her.

She doesn't bother them again for the rest of the morning.

Brandon finds her crying in the garden when he goes there to eat lunch that afternoon. He's never seen a girl cry before, but he feels like he should do _something_. He doesn't know _what _though, so he stands there awkwardly until she finally notices him.

"What are you doing here?" She demands, attempting to scowl. It's much less effective when she's sniffling and there are tears still pouring from her pretty eyes. She tries to wipe them away when she notices but it proves even more futile then her failed intimidation. They just keep fallingfalling_falling_ like a broken faucet.

"Well," she continues, fluffing her soft blonde curls, "are you here to kick me while I'm down, because it won't work. You're only a _squire _after all; what _you_ say doesn't matter."

"But Sky is a prince so what he says does, and he said he hates you." Brandon doesn't mean to say it; the words just come out like her tears.

He realizes as he watches her run away that he doesn't like when people are hurting, especially because of the actions of someone else. Sky realizes when Diaspro and her father leave early (he knows it's all his fault and he feels badbad_bad_) that perhaps he is just as spoiled as she. He still doesn't like her, but he doesn't exactly hate her anymore either.

"Maybe princess Diaspro isn't so bad." Sky tells Brandon when the two of them are laying on their backs in the courtyard, staring up at the stars. This bothers Brandon and he doesn't know why.

"…I still don't want to marry her though." Suddenly, he feels a little bit better.

He isn't so betrayedannoyed_jealous_ anymore.

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Brandon never stops thinking about Diaspro. He and Sky became better people because of her, but he can't help wondering if she got worse because of _them_.

He gets his answer when they're sixteen.

With the looming threat of Yoshinoya growing, king Erendor finds it in Sky's best interest to finish up his schooling at the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery. (Brandon, being the royal squire, gets to go along for the ride too.) Diaspro and her father come a week before their departure to see them (but mostly Sky) off.

She's even more unbearable than they remember, but her curls are bouncier and her eyes brighter and her mouth plumper so Brandon thinks he can forgive her. Sky, on the other hand, still isn't very fond of her presence, only this time he keeps it himself.

"Oh Sky," she giggles at dinner that night, clinging to his arm like she always did those years ago, "you've been working out!" Sky laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Brandon stabsstabs_stabs_ his baked potato a little more forcefully than necessary.

He doesn't know why he craves her attention. He just knows he needs it, so he spends the rest of the week trying to catch her honey eyes. He gets into the habit of training shirtless just in case she happens to wander by, and she does stop once or twice, but Sky always appears, unintentionally stealing her away once more. He tries to turn up his 'cool' factor when she's around, only to have it blow up in his face because she finds Sky's magnified awkwardness 'adorable.' He's almost ready to give up when he learns what her fairy-power is, but he decides to try the one last thing.

He finds old professor Humphrey in the library, still as pudgy and dull as ever, and throws him for a loop with his near frantic request.

"Teach me all you know about precious stones."

On the day he and Sky are supposed to leave, he purposely exits his room at the same time Diaspro is walking by. He falls in step beside her; she speeds up. He matches her pace easily, because he's at least a head taller. Finally, she whirls around on her crimson heels to face him.

"What are you doing, Squire?" She hisses, poking his chest firmly with each word. Brandon blurts out the first thing that comes to mind in response, thinking faintly how familiar the situation seems.

"Rubies are just red sapphires."

She stares at him and he stares back. He can tell from the look on her face that she wasn't expecting _that_.

"Not…many people know that." She says slowly. Brandon stands a little straighter, hope bubbling in his chest.

"…Too bad you aren't Sky." And if Sky wasn't his best friend, Brandon is sure he would hate him.

With a flip of her beautifulperfect_shiny_ curls, she's gone.

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Brandon meets Stella as soon as he arrives at Red Fountain.

She's skipping class to go to a shoe sale, and he's skipping class just to skip class. They (literally) bump into each other, and her bags fly everywhere. She yellsyells_yells_ at him to "Watch where you're going buster!" He picks up all of her bags, apologizing profusely. He freezes when he finally looks up at her.

He thinks she's perfect, only her blonde hair isn't curled and her eyes aren't the right shade of brown and she doesn't wear red heels and her name isn't Diaspro. He doesn't know why he thinks that. She snatches her things and stomps away, but he doesn't intend to let her off so easily.

She falls for him quickly, because she likes cool and not cute, and he falls for her too. He can't help but wonder, however, if she only likes him because he's masquerading as prince Sky.

Then again, he can't blame her, because he also wonders if he only likes her because he sometimeskindof_always_ pretends that she's Diaspro.

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On their 10th official date, as they are walking through Magix and a pretty diamond necklace catches her eye, he tells her: "Diamonds can come in all kinds of different colors, even black and pink."

She gives him a confused look, but it's not because she didn't expect him to know; it's because she hadn't known that herself.

"Wow Brandon, that's like, so totally fab!"

He realizes then that he loves Diaspro, and that he is here with Stella for all the wrongwrong_wrong_ reasons.

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Brandon knows it's selfish, but he still feels betrayed when he notices Sky and Bloom growing closer.

He's angryangry_angry_ because Diaspro picked Sky over him and now Sky is picking Bloom over her and she doesn't deserve that and neither does he because that means his heart was broken for no reason at all.

"Oh aren't they cute together?" Stella squeals as she watches the two _traitors _dancing shyly at Alfea's annual back-to-school dance.

He wants to scream that no, they do _not_ look good together. He wants to go over there and physically tear them apart himself. He wants to remind Sky that Diaspro is waiting at home for him while he's getting cozy with another fairy. Instead, he pulls Stella into his arms and whispers: "Dance with me." She giggles and he can't help comparing it to someone else's.

He feels like a hypocrite because he maypossibly_inaway_ be doing the same thing to Stella.

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Brandon finds her crying in the garden again on the day Sky tells her that he's in love with Bloom, only this time he did it on purpose.

He stands there just like he did last time, until she looks up and catches him. Her mascara is smeared and her nose is running and her eyes are puffy but he still thinks she's so _gorgeous_.

"What do you want?" She snaps, her voice broken and wracked with sobs.

"Are you here for your revenge; are you going to laugh at me for being so _stupid_?"

This time he has had more experience with weeping girls, so he sits down beside her and wraps his arms around her and lets her cry into his shoulder as he rubs comforting circles in her back.

"..I should've chosen you." She hiccups into the fabric of his shirt; he agrees with her. She doesn't look at him because she already knows the answer to the question she's about to ask but she does anyway because she hashas_has _to.

"And now it's too late, isn't it?" He doesn't want to say yes, but he does, because now he cares about Stella too and he doesn't want to be her Sky.

He doesn't say 'I Love You', but she knows that he alwayseternally_forever_ will.


End file.
